


To Serve and Protect

by ptw30



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Akashi Seijuurou and Kuroko Tetsuya are Twins, Aomine Daiki & Kagami Taiga Friendship, Bodyguard AU, Daiki & Tetsu are BFFs, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Taiga is Tetsuya's bodyguard, Their dad is the prime minister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-17
Updated: 2017-06-28
Packaged: 2018-11-15 01:14:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11220183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ptw30/pseuds/ptw30
Summary: Taiga's job can't get any better. He gets paid to hang-out with his boyfriend (though he could do without Daiki being there, too). And though he wants nothing more than to spend the rest of his life with Tetsuya, the prime minster has different ideas - and so does Hanamiya Makoto, one of Tetsuya's other bodyguards.





	1. On-the-Job Dating

**Author's Note:**

> After a more than a year of promising this story - here it is! It's a sequel to [this ficlet](https://ptw30.tumblr.com/post/145818099379/to-protect-and-to-serve), but you don't need to read it to enjoy this. Thanks!

“Wait. You actually want to work on Saturday?” Daiki asked, dumbfounded. 

The large sunglasses took up half of Taiga’s face, so Daiki couldn’t adequately see the faint blush upon his cheeks. “Hey, weren’t you the one bitching and moaning earlier this week about wanting to go some bar but Tetsu didn’t? So I’m just trying to help a brother out, y’know?”

Daiki cast Taiga such an intense glare even his sunglasses couldn’t mask it. “Don’t give me that shit. What game are you playing, Taiga?”

“Nothing, man.” Taiga shrugged, though in his stiff, pressed suit, it came across as more of a flinch. “Just figured it wouldn’t hurt having you owe me one.”

“Nah. I’m not buying it. Why would you be willing to give up your only free Saturday this month to babysit the prime minister’s son?”

“Maybe because it’s our job,” Taiga said, slow as if speaking to a child. “And dude, he’s your best friend. How can you talk about him like he’s cockblocking you?”

“ ‘Cause he totally is! There’s this bartender down in Asakusa, and man oh man.” He motioned to his chest area and made cupping motions with his long fingers. “You have to see how her rack just bounces—”

“Yeah, like you can score that.”

Daiki straightened his designer suit jacket. “Dude, have you seen me in this suit? Chicks dig it.”

“And then you open your mouth.”

“Like you can do any better,” Daiki snorted, arms crossed as he leaned back against the wall, next to the classroom’s door. “We’ve been doing the same detail for almost two years, and I haven’t seen you even look at a girl, let alone speak to one. And when was the last you had a date?”

Taiga glanced away and down the hall, skimming the suddenly crowded aisles as classes let out. “Hey, I’ve got game.”

Daiki scanned in the opposite direction. “That’s what all guys say when they have none—” The classroom door swung open, smacking the unsuspecting Daiki right in the nose. “Ow! What the hell, Tetsu!”

“Oh, my apologies, Daiki-san.” Tetsu gave a polite little bow as he exited the lecture hall, though his face remained as stoic as ever. “I didn’t see your pointlessly large body there.”

Daiki looked on the verge of attacking Tetsu, but his skewed sunglasses and bloodied nose made him appear more pitiful than angry. “You don’t look sorry at all.”

“I don’t? Oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t make me hit you, Tetsu!”

“But it’s your job to protect me,” Tetsu said in that deliberately blank voice he did when trying hard not to laugh. “Kagami-kun, tell him.”

Taiga couldn’t keep a straight face but tried his best not to laugh loudly. “He’s right, Aho. You’ll lose your job if you harm him.”

“I’ll take a bullet for you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t punch you!”

Taiga stepped between Tetsu and Daiki, which seemed to infuriate his partner even more. “I bet that bartender will think this is an improvement. Your nose will finally fit the size of your ego.”

“Shut up, Bakagami.” Daiki then put two fingers toward his eyes before pointing them at Tetsu in the universal sign of “I’m watching you.” Then, he huffed off to the nearest bathroom. 

Taiga held in his boisterous laughter as best he could, and he would have let it out completely if not for the hand that grabbed a fistful of his ass. 

“Hey!” He spun around, noticing the mischievous glint in his boyfriend’s eyes. “Didn’t you learn in preschool? Keep your hands to yourself.”

“I would rather not, Taiga-kun.” When he offered his hand, Taiga sighed and folded their fingers together. “Did you get Saturday night duty?”

Taiga nodded. “Daiki’s suspicious, but he took the bait. He’ll switch with me, no doubt.”

Tetsu hummed thoughtfully. “So Daiki-san wanted to take me to a bar in Asakusa. Where did you want to take me?”

Four days later, Tetsu stood, blinking at the neon lights flashing back at him. “Taiga-kun brought me to a bar in Asakusa.”

Taiga wore a sheepish smile – along with relaxed jeans and a tight T-shirt. “Maybe, but it’s not what you think.”

Tetsu cocked his head to the side and arched an accusatory eyebrow, prompting Taiga to growl, “It’s really not! I promise!”

Taiga still took all the necessary precautions, placing a baseball cap upon Tetsu’s head, dressing him in a large hoodie – it might or might not have been Taiga’s, and Taiga might or might not have loved seeing Tetsu in his clothes – and led the shorter man into the rundown bar. 

A familiar, festive mood swept over Taiga, though Tetsu seemed nervous in the darkened environment, huddling close to Taiga’s larger form. Taiga took the initiative then, tucking Tetsu under his arm as they made their way through the row of crowded booths and around the tall stools. As they passed by the well-built and rather tall men and women, who wore dark T-shirts and spenders, a good-natured man called, “Kagami! Pull up a chair and join us!”

“Can’t you see he’s on a date?” another man, slightly shorter and sporting glasses, hissed. 

A tiny but fierce woman slapped the back of their heads with a large fan. Taiga smiled tentatively and shouted over the live band, “Maybe later!”

“Who are they?” Tetsu said as loudly as his voice would allow, and still, Taiga’s ears barely caught it. 

“You know how I was a firefighter before becoming part of your detail? Those were some of my buddies from the station. They hang out here a few nights and get free drinks.”

“You get free drinks here?”

Taiga’s cheeks flushed. “Sometimes, if Alex isn’t being a cheap ass.”

“Alex?”

As they came to the long, old-fashioned wooden bar, clamoring with people to get their drinks, they waited until two stools next to each other emptied. When a blonde turned from the blender on the opposite side of the bar, Taiga shouted, “Hey! What does a guy have to do to get some service around here?”

The girl resituated her blocked red glasses upon her nose and opened her mouth to tongue-lash before her eyes glistened. “Taiga! You’ve come back!”

She pounced, lips shoved toward his, but Taiga threw up both his hands to cover her mouth. “I’m dating someone, Alex! _Dating!_ And it’s serious. You can’t do that anymore.”

“So serious that you haven’t even brought him around here, huh?” she pouted once she took a step back, and then a soft but persistent voice interjected from Taiga’s side. 

“I believe that is why I am here, Alex-san.”

With a terrible screech, Alex jumped back before glaring at Tetsu with open hostility. “How dare you take Taiga away from me!”

“Don’t listen to her,” a handsome bartender replied, placing a beer in front of Taiga. His dark hair covered one of his sharp eyes, while a mole occupied his shown cheek. A ring hung around his neck, mirroring the one about Taiga’s. His smile was kind, inviting, and even a bit commiserating. “Alex’s bark is loud, but it’s missing all its bite. I’m Tatsuya, by the way. Taiga’s brother. You must be Tetsuya.”

Tetsuya’s smile was small but there, warm and gentle as he accepted the offered hand. “Yes. Taiga speaks highly of you. Both of you.”

Tatsuya gave Taiga a sinister sideways glance before pulling a beer for Tetsuya as well. “Well, it’s all lies. My little brother was practically a saint growing up, so I had to be the bad one. And Alex was no role model – ALEX!”

Tetsuya’s eyes practically bugged out his head when Alex landed a forceful, assaulting kiss straight on his mouth, and the crowd cheered, hooting and hollering at the public display of affection. Taiga thought he’d died right then and there. Not only had he’d failed at his _job_ – no one was allowed to touch Tetsuya without his permission – but his mother figure was making a move on his boyfriend. 

“Hey! Hey! Hey!” A massive hand landed upon Alex’s shoulder and tore her away from Tetsuya. “You do not touch Tetsu. Got it!” 

What the hell was Daiki doing here?

Once Daiki looked over Tetsu, minding the lipstick and assessing his charge was fine, he swung back to the bartender with a lazy smile. “And why would you want to, anyway? He’s practically a ghost. Kissing him would be like kissing snow – or a vanilla milkshake, which is just disgusting.”

Tetsu grabbed a napkin to wipe off his mouth. “Thank you for your honest response, Daiki-kun.”

“Eh,” Alex shrugged. “I’d say he’s about an eight.”

Taiga choked. Alex one time gave him a four. 

Blinking, Taiga finally came to senses and screeched, “Aho! What the hell are you doing here?”

“I told you I was going to try to charm the bartender with the huge rack.” He motioned to Alex, who smiled smugly before yelling at Tatsuya to get back to work. “Why’d the hell you bring Tetsu here, huh?”

Daiki’s eyebrow furled in intense concentration, baiting, demanding, accusing. 

Taiga flung a concerned glance at Tetsu, but Tetsu’s cool hand patted his own, to soothe and calm. He smiled gently at Aomine. “I asked Taiga-san to bring me to his family’s establishment. I did not realize you like older women, Daiki-san, especially Taiga-san’s mother.”

Daiki choked in mid-sip of Tetsu’s beer. “That’s Taiga’s mom! Bakagami, how did _she_ give birth to _you?_ ”

“Shut up, Aho! Alex adopted Tatsuya and me when we were kids.” 

Aomine blinked, eyes blown wide. “You shitting me? You got to look at _that_ your entire life?”

Taiga pushed back from his stool, muscles tensing as he growled, “Aho, you are two seconds away from –”

“Hey, is that any way to speak to your future stepfather?”

Stepfather, his ass –

“Daiki-kun, did I hear that right?” Tetsu asked, and Taiga spied his boyfriend’s sinister little smile. He was up to something. “Did you just say you wanted to be reassigned to my brother’s detail?”

Daiki sobered instantly. “You wouldn’t, Tetsu. That’s just cruel.”

“Then have a good night, Daiki-kun. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Growling, Daiki downed the rest of his beer and slammed the necessary bills on the bar. “Y’know what, Bakagami? …I’ll pay you for any nudes you’ve got of – ”

If not for Tetsu’s fingers digging into his wrist, Taiga would have decked Daiki. “Get out of here before I get Atsushi to eject your sorry ass.”

“Hm. You sure you can’t get your ma to – ”

Taiga growled; Daiki lifted his hands in surrender before patting Tetsu on the head like the favorite little brother he was. “Hey, you need me, you call me, okay? Even buzzed, I’d protect you better than Bakagami over there.”

Taiga slammed down the beer and shouted at Daiki’s retreating back, “Hey! Hey! That’s so not true! I could protect Tetsuya better than you drunk – and I’ve got a higher tolerance!”

“Very mature, Taiga-kun.”

“Ah, hush you.”

“Come on, Tetsuya!” Tatsuya appeared just behind Tetsuya and snatched his wrist, dragging the startled Tetsuya off his stool and onto the dance floor. 

Taiga reached out to snatch Tetsuya’s wrist as a picture of the prime minister’s son dancing with another man might be seen as scandalous, especially one as good-looking as Tatsuya. But Tatsuya sent him a warning glare – _Let us have some fun, Tiger_ – and with Tetsuya’s weak presence, not many people would probably noticed him anyway. 

Sighing, he pushed back onto his stool and rested an elbow onto the bar, content to watch the undeniably heart-warming sight of Tatsuya trying to get Tetsuya to sway to the beat. And with a beer in his hand and Alex muttering behind him, he thought this might be a perfect moment.

“You are a _baka,_ ” a vicious but familiar voice decreed, and just like that, the moment ended. 

Taiga glanced to the side and immediately tensed. On the stool next to him leaned a lithe man with eyes as dark as an abyss and a devious smirk only criminals wore. A baseball cap pressed his dark bangs to the side of his cheeks, and his sweatshirt and jeans lent him the conspicuous appearance of an average bargoer. 

But Taiga knew Hanamiya Makoto to be anything but. 

“What are you doing here, Makoto?” Taiga grunted, throwing back another gulp of his beer. “You’re not working tonight.”

Makoto let out a sinister laugh as he glanced over his shoulder at the dancing Tetsuya and Tatsuya. “Heard from Yukio you were coming here. Thought you might be a bit over your head.”

Taiga narrowed his eyes as Makoto followed Tetsuya’s movements with an almost voyeur intensity, and like always, it unnerved Taiga. Despite being a conceited asshole who spoke down to Taiga, Makoto also loathed the Akashis. Why would he ever be assigned to protect them, Taiga always wondered. 

Their paths didn’t cross too often since Makoto was usually assigned to Seijuro, and their shifts and the brothers’ schedules would have to correspond perfectly in order for Makoto and him to meet. When those few and far between times occurred, Taiga always made sure to be on hand. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Makoto to protect Seijuro and Tetsuya – okay, maybe it was – but Makoto’s sadistic glares and snide comments always left Taiga unnerved. The day he referred to Seijuro as the “the demon’s son,” though accurate in some ways, was the day Taiga made sure Tetsuya was never left alone with Makoto again. 

“I’ve got this,” Taiga asserted, finishing his first and only beer of the night. “Go home.”

“So you can continue your date?” 

Taiga didn’t flinch. He didn’t sputter. He just frowned at Makoto, watching as the bastard’s sadistic little smirk showed itself. 

“Oh, I know all about you sneaking behind the prime minister’s back with his younger son, but don’t worry.” Makoto patted Taiga’s shoulder in a haughty manner. “I won’t tell the prime minister. I’d like to exploit this secret myself.”

Just like that, Taiga wanted to rip Makoto’s throat out, but he refrained. Though he wasn’t quite ready to have Tetsuya introduce him at the dinner table, he wasn’t ashamed of his relationship with the prime minister’s son. And if he got fired for it, then he’d just go back to being a firefighter. 

“Do whatever you want, Makoto,” Taiga replied dryly. “I’ve got nothing to hide.”

“Then you’re even more of a fool than I thought.” A vicious gleam shimmered in his eyes. “Yeah? What do you think will happen once _Daddy_ finds out about you? Do you really think he’s going to allow you to continue dating his son? You’re a bartender’s kid. You’re beneath pedigree like him.”

Taiga’s fists flexed; his anger flared. “Don’t talk about Tetsuya like he’s a dog.”

Makoto shrugged. “Seriously. How long until Daddy says no and Tetsuya decides to cut you lose?”

“That’s none of your business,” Taiga snapped, wishing with all his might that Daiki was the one next to him. Dude was an ass but not an asshole like Makoto. 

“Come on now.” Makoto’s voice carried in a mockingly sweet tone. “No need to get all defensive, especially if you have _nothing_ to hide.”

Tetsuya laughed; the pure joy upon his boyfriend’s face was endearing. 

“Ah. So that’s how it is,” Makoto muttered, sounding mad – perhaps even at himself. “You’ll have to be put down, too.”

“Put down?” Taiga fumed. “What the fuck are you talking about, Makoto?”

No one would ever touch, Tetsuya. Taiga would make sure of it. 

Makoto finished his beer and heaved a melodramatic sigh. “People like us, Kagami, we don’t stand a chance against people like the Akashis. We’re nothing more than their playthings, movable pieces on a chess board called life. If we’re lucky, we’re the knights or the bishops. If we’re not – then we’re the pawns. Me?” He paid his tab and sent Tetsuya one last, lingering glower. “One day, I’m going to be the king.”

Taiga watched him weave through the bargoers before disappearing into the crowd altogether. A heavy pit settled in Taiga’s stomach, Makoto’s words finding purchase in Taiga’s fear. But as the crowd lessened and quieted, Taiga let the tension bleed from his shoulders and joined Tatsuya and Tetsuya in a corner booth, watching as a large man with purple hair moaned and mopped the floor. 

“What do you _see_ in him, Tatsuya?” Taiga whined, ankles crossed upon a table top. “He’s practically an overgrown child.” 

Tatsuya swallowed another sip of his beer and glanced at Tetsuya. “I don’t know. Tetsuya, what do you see in my brother?”

“It’s not the same thing!”

“It’s totally the same thing.”

“He’s an idiot.”

“Look who’s talking.”

“You are, idiot.”

Tatsuya rolled his eyes, but a genuine smile lingered upon his face. Taiga relaxed and enjoyed the easy atmosphere, as well as the beautiful view. Tetsuya’s hair was skewed just so, his eyes wide and shimmering with confusion and delight. He currently stared at his half-drunken bottle like it was the most interesting thing in the world. He first lifted it up to the lights and then squinted, staring down the neck with one eye. Taiga bit his bottom lip to stop from laughing. His boyfriend was such a light weight. 

“Hey, enough dawdling!” Alex chastised, coming to smack her two boys with a wet towel. “Out, the lot of you. Time to head home.”

“Dawdling?” Taiga mouthed to Tatsuya, who smiled in return. 

Alex lunged for the half-plastered Tetsuya, lips locked and loaded, but Taiga intercepted her. “Hey, no more of that. I told you. Tetsuya and I dating.”

“I’m still skeptical. What does the prime minister’s son see in you?”

“His biceps,” Tetsuya giggled, hiccupping twice. “And his abs.” As if to emphasize, Tetsuya snatched Taiga’s shirt to reveal his sculpted abdomen. “Have you seen them?”

“All right!” Taiga’s cheeks flushed with heat. “You’re cut off.”

“But Tai-kun! I’m not done yet.” Those eyes glimmered with a mischievous glint, the bastard, and Tetsu dragged Taiga down in order to bury his fingers in Taiga’s hair. “No brush can combat Tai-kun’s unruly hair.”

As if he weighed nothing, Taiga scooped Tetsuya up, throwing him over his shoulder, beer bottle and all. “Say good night, Tetsuya.”

“I haven’t even started on your backside, Tai-kun.” 

Taiga yelped at the stinging slap across his ass. “You jerk!”

Tetsuya giggled, loud and bubbly, and Taiga found himself sighing, unable to keep up the angered façade. Taiga loved Drunk Tetsuya. He was fun, playful, and affectionate. 

After they said their good nights – and Alex assaulted Tetsuya with another kiss – Taiga wandered down the rundown streets of Asakusa toward the brighter lights of Shinjuku. 

All the while, Tetsuya rambled, “Alex-san smelled nice. You smell nice, too, Tai-kun. Like wood and fire and ginger. Do you like ginger? I like vanilla.”

“Really, Tetsuya? You like vanilla? That’s news to me.”

“I like that place. It’s loud and busy, but that’s okay. You didn’t lose track of me.”

Like that would ever happen. He wasn’t Daiki, who one time lost Tetsu in his own room.

Tetsuya’s voice deepened and turned serious. “Thank you, Taiga-kun, for bringing me to meet your family.” 

Taiga shrugged, jostling Tetsuya who still hung off his shoulder. “ ‘s okay. Only made sense, y’know? I know your dad.”

“My father pays you to protect me.”

“I’d do it for free.”

“Hm, really? The taxpayers of Japan will be happy to hear that.”

Tetsuya let out a swift howl, followed by a drunken giggle at the loud slap Taiga gave his backside. But even while giving his boyfriend a teasing spank, he remained alert, watching the shadows, the passersby, and the cars on the street. Makoto’s entire conversation made him more uneasy than usual, and he wasn’t even sure why. Makoto never outwardly threatened Tetsuya or the Akashis, but there was just something in his tone and diction that never settled right with Taiga. At least they didn’t have much farther to go to reach the Kantei, the official residence of the Prime Minister, and then Taiga could relax.

A thought popped into his mind, persistent and demanding. 

“Hey, y’know, Alex and Tatsuya – if you ever needed a safe place, one completely off the grid, you could go to them.”

Tetsuya huffed and Taiga grunted when Tetsuya’s elbows dug into his back. "Tai-kun and my father are both delusional. As if anyone could ever see me to attack me. And they’ll most likely go after Aniki.”

“Well, let’s be honest,” Taiga laughed. “Most people would want to kill your brother, the ass – ow! Tetsuya!”

“Aniki is brilliant. It is not his fault the rest of Japan cannot handle his intensity.”

“You hid his violin for a whole month just because he locked your dog in a room.”

Tetsuya shrugged. “I do not know to what you are referring, Tai-kun. Aniki loses nothing.”

“Uh-huh. Right. Try that on someone who doesn’t know you.”

Once they finally entered the Kantei, Taiga navigated the halls with Tetsuya still thrown over his shoulder, and though Aida-san shook his head, he didn’t say a word. Taiga had always taken his duty to Tetsuya seriously, and he – as well as Daiki – sometimes took drastic measures to ensure Tetsuya’s safety, especially with their charge’s lack of presence

Taiga placed Tetsuya on the ground just outside his bedroom and fisted his hands in his boyfriend’s shirt to draw him close. “Hey, thanks for coming with me today. It-It meant a lot to me.”

“Hm.” Tetsuya’s tongue dragged across his lower lip in a seductive manner that Taiga did not need to see at one o’clock in the morning. “Tai-kun could show me his appreciation.”

Taiga inched closer, fitting Tetsuya’s smaller form against his larger one. “Yeah? How so?”

Maybe if they were quiet, they wouldn’t wake up the prime minister, and Taiga would get to keep his job. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan – until Tetsuya’s smile grew mischievous and he pushed up on his toes to whisper, “Tai-kun can run downstairs and get me a vanilla milkshake.”

Tetsuya pulled away then, slipping into his bedroom, and Taiga called after him, “You have to be freakin’ kidding me.”

“Milkshake, Tai-kun,” Tetsuya said, grabbing the helm of his shirt and tugging it over his head. “Then maybe sex.”

Growling, Taiga guessed he could put up with a little ribbing from his boyfriend-slash-charge, considering Tetsuya definitely kissed like an eight and looked like a fourteen. So he headed downstairs to the kitchen for a milkshake, only to return to find his boyfriend passed out on his bed, his shirt off and boxers and jeans still holding onto his backside lovingly. Nigou, Tetsuya’s vicious beast, was curled up next him, and the pup panted and smiled when Taiga approached. 

Taiga sighed, then retreated to the closet for a blanket and a fresh shirt for Tetsuya. After all, Yukio would be waking them up tomorrow, not Ryouta, and if there was one thing Yukio knew, it was how to mind his own business. 

Taiga’s thoughts wandered back to Makoto. If he happened to hug Tetsuya like a plushie that night, keeping him safe from the Hanamiya Makotos of the world, then Taiga was just doing his job. 

*^*^*

More than a year passed with Tetsuya and Taiga sneaking from shadow to shadow, but eventually, a tabloid printed a picture of them kissing. Taiga worried that he would be fired the next day but instead just received the “protection” talk, which, y’know was kinda his job anyway, being a bodyguard and all. 

Daiki gave Taiga the stinky eye, even going insofar as to ask Tetsuya why he had such terrible taste in men – after all, Ryouta was prettier and willing to jump Tetsuya with so much as a smile – but Tetsuya admitted that he had a thing for idiots with sculpted arms. 

Taiga should have been offended, but he wasn’t. (After all, his arms weren’t the only part of him that was sculpted, and he knew Tetsuya liked those parts, too.)

Taiga grew complacent, enjoying Saturday nights out with his boyfriend, locking lips and holding hands in public, not worrying about what anyone thought. He invited Tetsuya to his apartment, and he took double shifts, so they could lounge around in bed the next morning. He woke up to scent of fresh coffee and smoky bacon, and when they were in the Kantei, Taiga took great pleasure in opening the door, wearing nothing but his briefs, when Daiki arrived for his shift. 

He began to plan and think of things he shouldn’t – like rings and houses and kids. But as Tetsuya’s graduation from university approached, Taiga found himself called before the prime minister, in his official place of business. 

Even as a protector of the family for more than four years, Taiga found meetings in the prime minister’s office intimidating. 

“My son is going to be a great politician one day,” the prime minister explained, eyes sharp, voice stern and condemning. “After he graduates, he will head into a master’s program to study political science and economics.”

Like Seijuro? No way. “Sir, Tetsuya wishes to be a kindergarten teacher. I believe his program of study is elementary education.”

“He is mistaken. Soon, he will see all the good he can do for Japan and decide to follow in my footsteps.”

Like Seijuro? No way. “Sir, is there a reason you called me here? Because I don’t think I can convince your son to forgo his dreams for – ”

“I do not need your assistance in convincing Tetsuya this is his future,” the prime minister snapped, opening a folder on his desk and skimming it as he spoke. “I need your assistance in doing what is right for Tetsuya as he will need someone by his side who is gifted in tact and presence.”

Taiga would be the first to admit – he wasn’t always the quickest person in the room. “Like an advisor?”

The prime minister met Taiga’s eyes now, his glare cold and ruthless. “Like a partner.”

Taiga’s blood froze in his veins.

“I appreciate all you have done for Tetsuya, Kagami-kun. I truly do. I can see the progress you have made in him – the confidence, the poise, the stronger presence. But ultimately, you will only hold him back. A bodyguard is not a worthy partner for a future Diet member.”

Wow. Taiga’s mouth opened, slightly agape, shock sweeping through his body and numbing his thoughts. Two swift knocks sounded on the door behind him, and the prime minister stood to accept his jacket from his assistant. 

“I know this must be difficult for you to accept, but I have no doubt you will. Until then, I’ve asked Aida-san to reassign you to Seijuro’s duty. As always, thank you for your service to my family and Japan, Kagami-kun. You are an asset to our nation and one of its finest citizens.”

And the prime minister was gone, leaving Taiga standing in the middle of the empty office. Hands loose at his thighs, eyes stinging with fresh tears, he wondered what the hell just happened. Had he been dumped by his boyfriend’s father? But – But Tetsuya wanted to be a kindergarten teacher. There was no way he would enter into the world of politics. The prime minister had to be wrong…right?

“He’s wrong,” Tetsuya fumed in one of the few times Taiga had ever seen his boyfriend – ex-boyfriend? – furious. “He has no right to say such things to Taiga-kun. I am not going to follow in his footsteps. I am going to be a teacher.”

Despite every fiber of his being screaming at him to stop, Taiga forced himself to say, “He’s not wrong.”

“He is,” Tetsuya hissed, hands clenching his bedspread. “I am not going to study political science. Aniki will be our father’s heir, and you and I will – ”

“I will watch your brother achieve your father’s dreams from his side.” Taiga’s shoulders slumped as he refused to meet Tetsuya’s eyes. He briefly wondered what he’d see if he did – hurt, betrayal, resignation. “I’ve been reassigned to his detail. I’m supposed to check in with Reo tomorrow morning.”

“No!” Tetsuya’s cool hands slipped into Taiga’s and squeezed. “I will speak to my father, Taiga-kun. He doesn’t understand – ”

“Maybe it’s you who doesn’t understand, Tetsuya.” Taiga hated himself, hated that he even thought this way. “You need to do what’s best for you.”

The cold tone in Tetsuya’s usually blank voice drew Taiga’s eyes. “Perhaps Kagami-san should trust _me_ to know what that is.”

Kagami-san, not Taiga-kun.

“What if you decide one day you want to be an elected official and find out you can’t because of – of – ” … _me_.

“That won’t happen.”

“Yes, because I won’t let it.”

Taiga expected more. He expected bitter words neither would be able to take back. He expected that fury he saw burning in Tetsuya’s eyes to erupt into a vicious, vindictive spew that would leave Taiga utterly destroyed and begging Tetsuya to take him back, though he knew he could never be worthy of one of Japan’s favorite sons. 

Instead, Tetsuya dropped his arms in a tired, distraught manner, and turn his back to Taiga. “I…would appreciate it if Kagami-san left now. I believe he has said what he came to say.”

Taiga blinked, taken back by the outwardly calm demeanor, but perhaps he shouldn’t have been. Tetsuya kept his emotions tightly reigned at all times, but Taiga wanted Tetsuya yell. He wanted Tetsuya to show some emotion other than the monotoned pitch of his voice, dull and flat and tired. 

“Tetsuya, listen – ”

“You are dismissed, Kagami-san. Your services are not required anymore this evening.”

Fine. All right. If that was the way Tetsuya wanted to play it – Taiga spun on his heel and stormed from the room, slamming the door behind him. He leaned back against it, ignoring the questioning looks from Yukio and Hayakawa, and let his shoulders tremble and his eyes burn. 

He stayed there for a long time, unbeknownst that on the other side of the door, Tetsuya did the same. 

_To Be Concluded..._


	2. Precautionary Measures

Seijuro wasn’t as much of a pain in the ass as Daiki and the other agents professed. Sure, he could be a bit intense at times, but he was more subdued and reserved in a manner befitting of one in the public eye. 

Unlike Tetsuya, who only went to college, studied, and occasionally attended a formal state dinner with his father, Seijuro actually went _for_ their father to some functions. He clipped red ribbons and attended power lunches. He spoke to the news, smiling that elegant, alluring gleam that charmed ladies and gentlemen alike. (It might have, kind of, sort of reminded Taiga of Tetsuya’s, which made sense since Seijuro and Tetsuya were twins, but that just made Taiga’s day so much longer.)

Where Taiga used to look forward to coming to work – his job had been essentially to spend all day with his boyfriend; was there a better job than that? – he now babysat one of Japan’s favorite sons, and – well, Seijuro had a following all his own. 

Girls loved him, screamed at him, threw themselves at him, and it was mildly frustrating and whole-heartedly annoying. Taiga spent most of his day making sure his young charge wasn’t assaulted by these vicious beasts who masqueraded in make-up and mini-skirts. Taiga desperately missed Tetsuya’s weak presence, which allowed Tetsuya to blend into the background of almost every situation. 

Seijuro drew attention just by existing. 

But other than being supremely depressed, drowning his sorrows in beer that Alex made him pay for, the hag, and learning the quirks of his new charge – did everything have to come with tofu? – Taiga’s life changed very little. He missed his boyfriend and began to think that maybe that feeling of longing would, in fact, never go away. That maybe Tetsuya was his soulmate and he’d severed a part of his very being by breaking up with him– but Taiga did it for the right reasons. Tetsuya needed to follow the path set before him, and it would be wrong for Taiga to derail him in any way. 

Taiga worked on damage-control. He drank disgusting vanilla milkshakes, brought an extra cheeseburger (and ate it, too), started reading those ancient literature books (not that he understood them), and even tried to do a few simple magic tricks ( _try,_ being the key word there). 

Sometimes Seijuro’s schedule crossed with Tetsuya’s – they were brothers, after all, and enjoyed each other’s company – and Tetsuya greeted Taiga with a tiny bow, saying, “It is good to see you, Kagami-san. I trust you have been well.” Then he would launch into a conversation with Seijuro without waiting for Taiga’s response. 

To say it was a tad-bit frustrating, would have been an understatement. 

So Taiga watched from afar because unlike Seijuro, who courted the room’s attention, Tetsuya courted Taiga’s. Even in a sea of glitz and glam, like a state dinner, Tetsuya’s presence was a like a beacon, so warm and bright that Taiga couldn’t help but fixate on it – until Reo elbowed him in the gut and told him to watch his charge, not Tetsuya. 

Tetsuya disappeared when finals approached, locking himself away in his room or at the university library, and Seijuro, too, had his own studies. Sighing, Taiga stared out the window of Seijuro’s quarters, wondering if Tetsuya was doing that adorable little habit where he bit his bottom lip while concentrating. If the printed words were too small, he’d put on those blue frames that just brought out the rich hues of his eyes, and then those pale lips would purse about the straw of his milkshake –

“Kagami-san.”

Taiga blinked, taken back by the soft but reproachful tone of his young charge. “Yeah, Sei?”

“You’re pining too loudly. Would you please limit yourself to breathless sighs? Thank you.”

“Huh-What are you – I’m not pining!”

Seijuro glanced up from the middle of his textbook fortress on his bedroom floor and pinned Taiga with a flat glare. “I urge you to consider conceding this point, Kagami-san. Arguing will not bode well for you.”

“I’m not pining!”

Seijuro sighed and resumed this work. 

“I’m not!”

“Do not make me present evidence.”

“There isn’t any because I’m not pining!”

“Is there a reason you are yelling at me, Kagami-san? Because if you are truly not pining, then there is no reason for you to be defensive.” 

Huffing, Taiga crossed his arms and went back to staring out the window, now more frustrated than melancholy. He needed to get a grip on his life. Maybe he should go back to being a firefighter. Sure, protecting the sons of the prime minister was intense but fulfilling. Taiga fell in love with Tetsuya, and he genuinely liked Seijuro, even if he was a know-it-all little shit. But he couldn’t help that it hurt to see Tetsuya, even briefly, in the halls or at an event. He didn’t even want to think about how he would feel once Tetsuya moved on and started dating other people. 

Damn. He needed to leave, sign his resignation letter immediately, and – 

“You know,” Seijuro said with nonchalance, not even glancing up from the current notebook, “it’s a shame you haven’t been pining for Tetsuya, Kagami-san, especially since he’s been pining for you.”

Taiga’s head whipped around. “W-What?”

Seijuro nodded, distracted as he flipped another page. “Yes. It is quite disturbing, actually. He mopes all the time, barely eats. He drank only one milkshake yesterday. Pitiful, really.”

Only one milkshake? How could that be? On a healthy day, Tetsuya went through three. 

“But since you are not pining for him, then this tiny but vital piece of information means nothing to you, _right,_ Kagami-san?”

Taiga debated harming – physically causing bloodshed and pain to the young, would-be politician – when the door to Seijuro’s room burst open. The sudden movement along with the utter terror in the Reo and Chihiro’s eyes compelled Taiga to lunge. He pushed Seijuro flat against the ground and covered Seijuro’s smaller form with his larger one. 

“Yukimaru has been secured,” Reo snapped into his earpiece. 

“What’s going on?” Seijuro demanded, but Taiga remained on top of him, waiting for an order, an explanation, a bullet. 

Reo knelt by Seijuro’s head, making sure the young charge could see him. “There has been an attack, Sei-chan. We’re waiting for more information.”

“What about my father and Tetsuya?” Desperation tainted Seijuro’s voice, and when he squirmed, Taiga immediately palmed his head, keeping Seijuro still. 

“Focus, Seijuro,” he combatted, forcing his own voice to remain firm. “Your brother and father are protected. Right now, let’s worry about making sure you’re safe.”

As he raised his eyes to meet Reo’s, his heart fluttered, missing every other beat. A sickening feeling of dread swept through him, and he thought his heart gave out completely when Reo lifted up his phone and showed Taiga the message from Aida. There were only spurts of information, phrases, not enough to get a full understanding of the situation, but the danger was evident. 

_Four dead. Daiki shot. Shadow missing. Hanamiya second detail, suspect and at large._

Taiga’s mouth opened, and his fierce hold upon Seijuro laxed. It felt as if a hand tore open his chest to squeeze his heart dry. He ducked his head, forcing the tears back. 

Then anger consumed him. 

Terrible and blazing, the rage roared through him like his namesake, and his eyes narrowed. His lips thinned and paled. 

“Aida freakin’ switched me with Makoto! Are you fucking kidding me? Makoto is an asshole! How could Aida – ”

“Makoto?” Seijuro questioned, glancing over his shoulder at Taiga. “Hanamiya-san did something to Tetsuya?”

Taiga grit his teeth and glanced away. He couldn’t risk losing it now. He had a duty, a responsibility. Seijuro. Protect Seijuro, and telling Seijuro that Tetsuya could be in danger would compromise Seijuro’s judgement. First, Taiga needed to secure his current charge. Then he would find Tetsuya. Nothing would stand in the way. 

Static crackled in Taiga’s ear, and then Yukio’s stern voice commanded, “Grounds secure. Move Shoji and Yukimaru to the secure locations now.”

Taiga shot up in a moment’s time and tugged Seijuro to his feet. He kept Seijuro between him and the windows at all times and with Reo and Chihiro, surrounded their young charge for the move. 

They went swiftly and met no resistance, though Taiga all but carried Seijuro down the hall, two flights of stairs, and into the safe bunker in the basement. Once they shut the door and secured the locking mechanism, Seijuro whirled toward Reo. 

“Report. Now.”

There was no room for negotiation. 

“Your brother was attacked on campus, Sei-chan. Cameras showed Hanamiya initiated the attack.”

“Bastard,” Chihiro cursed. 

“Daiki took out four of the assailants before he was shot. He is currently enroute to the hospital.”

“How is he?” Seijuro asked. 

Reo shook his head. “I don’t know.”

Taiga’s hands shook at his thighs. Daiki was an asshole, too, but he was a good guy. They were friends, partners, both committed to protecting Tetsuya with their lives. And both loved him deeply. 

“Where _is_ Tetsuya?” Seijuro demanded, a moment before Taiga could choke out the words. 

Reo’s face shifted from its professional façade, distraught. “No report yet, Sei-chan. It-I don’t want to assume, but he might have gotten away.”

“And left Daiki?” Taiga snorted. “No way. Tetsu wouldn’t just – ”

“Agreed,” Seijuro interrupted. “However, we must entertain the idea that Tetsuya would want to make sure Daiki was safe, and the best way to do that would have been to lure Hanamiya-san away. Reo, Tetsuya’s phone. Have you checked it yet?”

Reo shook his head. “He threw it into a trash can on campus, but it’s probably a blessing. Makoto could have tracked it, too.”

“Then where will Tetsuya go?” Chihiro growled. “If he knew to throw away his phone, he’s not going to hide in one of his campus safe havens. Hanamiya-san knows all of them.”

Taiga stopped to gather his bearings and think. He and Tetsuya visited hundreds of places over the last three years with dozens of safe havens where Tetsuya could hide within walking – or running – distance of the college. The library, Maji Burger, Tetsuya’s old high school – all places Makoto would think to find Tetsuya…

Taiga blinked. His mouth went dry. It would be risky, getting all the way out there, but it would be the only place in Tokyo where Makoto might not to think to look for Tetsuya, even if he knew of it. 

“Kagami-san,” Seijuro pressed, eyes shimmering with hope, “do you know where my brother might have gone?”

“Yes.” Taiga bowed formally, respectfully. “Akashi…kun, I – I, uh, you’re protected with two guards, but Tetsuya’s – ”

“Go,” Seijuro commanded. “Safeguard my brother and bring him home.”

Taiga grunted an affirmative and then waited until his two partners were in position on either side of the door, just in case an ambush would be waiting. Then he burst from the room. Every moment frayed upon his nerves as he climbed the stairs, moved stealthy through the halls, and emerged from the building. The guards waved him through the grounds, despite the increased security measures, and once he reached the street, he took off in a full-out run. 

He shortened the perfect mile to five minutes, making his way through the alleys and jumping down the stairs into the subway. Though he texted Alex and Tatsuya, called them and left messages, he failed to reach them. His heart pounded in his chest. Sweat dampened his polo shirt and jeans, and he took off his leather jacket and left it and his phone on the train before pushing his way to street level. 

At this time of day, people packed the sidewalks of Asakusa, but Taiga forced his way through, sometimes choosing to run alongside the moving traffic.

During the entire journey, Taiga prayed to any higher power who would listen. He hoped Tetsuya managed to escape Makoto, that he’d used all the techniques Taiga taught him, that he never looked back and just ran. He hoped Tetsuya heard him all those times Taiga told him how to blend into the crowds and huddle next to strangers. He hoped Tetsuya used his weak presence to disappear like he had before he met Taiga, though despite everything, Taiga could always, _always_ see him. 

The bar’s door was locked, something Taiga never remembered before, and his heart leapt into his throat. He tugged on the handle once, twice, three times, making sure he wasn’t crazy before he tore the dilapidated door off its hinges. From the resistance, he expected to find nothing more than an empty bar growing dust and mold, not a broom to the face. 

The floor rushed to greet him. Blood slid over his tongue, and he immediately went for his gun when he heard a familiar shriek. “Taiga!”

“Alex!” He wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his head, glaring up at his attacker. “What the hell?”

“Oh, thank goodness!” Alex rumbled in that horribly accented Japanese of hers. A hand covered her massive chest, which heaved with frightened gasps. “Warn a girl, will you? I thought you were a murdering psychopath.” 

“I would have warned a girl if there was one here.”

“Don’t take that tone with me, mister.”

“Then answer your damn phone!”

Alex refused to relinquish her broom, but she put out a hand to help Taiga to his feet. “Tetsuya told us you can track him through phones, so he was afraid Hanamiya might be able to find him if we spoke with you.”

Hope spurred through the cold dread that had settled in his stomach. He lunged forward, seizing Alex by her shoulders. “He’s here? Tetsuya’s here!”

“Wow, you’re really hung up on this one, huh, Tiger?”

“Alex!”

“All right, geez.” Alex lifted her broom – maybe she really was a witch – and motioned for Taiga to follow her deeper into the vacant bar. “Kid has one life or death experience, and you just freak out? That’s not very healthy, y’know.”

“One of my best friends was shot, Alex,” Taiga interjected, heart still throbbing with an endless ache. God, he liked Daiki, thought of him as his best friend. When did that happen? “I don’t even know if he’s alive or not, and Tetsuya – ”

He loved Tetsuya.

Alex entered the supply room, where she and Tatsuya kept napkins and boxes and all sort of bar supplies to be used during the night shift. A rather large barrel sat off in the corner of the room, surrounded by a thick, woven article akin to a Mexican falsa blanket. Alex slammed her boot heel three times against the floor near the barrel, then swept away the rug. 

Motioning toward the large barrel, she grumbled, “You could offer to help, y’know. It’s not like this is heavy or anything.”

Rolling his eyes, Taiga complied, heart pounding in his chest, nerves frayed, hands twitching. He waited with bated breath as Alex lifted the old wooden panels to reveal a blinking Tatsuya, who at first flinched at Taiga’s looming figure. 

_“Finally,”_ Tatsuya breathed once his eyes adjusted, holding up a hand for Taiga to take. “I was beginning to think you’d gotten over your little crush.”

Taiga forwent his usual growling to effortlessly lift Tatsuya out of the small enclosure. Then he jumped down, the darkness of the wooden panels getting the better of him. The small hiding spot wasn’t large, maybe four feet deep and ten feet wide, enough to fit a few containers of illegal liquor, perhaps a few other questionable substances, and one agitated prime minister’s son. 

Taiga exhaled, his entire body deflating of tension the moment he caught those brilliant, sky-colored irises staring back at him with a pleading gaze. Tetsuya was frightened, cornered – literally – huddling under the floorboards with his arms wrapped about his bent knees. A deep, harrowing crimson splattered his face and clothes in various places, not enough to signal injury but enough for Taiga to gage what Tetsuya endured. 

Tetsuya had watched Daiki be gunned down. 

Tetsuya’s own scrutinizing gaze swept over Taiga, and for a moment, the last month and a half was forgotten. Tetsuya lunged, arms latching onto Taiga’s neck, and he took residence in Taiga’s lap, ignoring Tatsuya and Alex as they resituated the floor boards and darkness enveloped the small compartment once more. 

Taiga couldn’t see Tetsuya very well, but he could feel the younger man’s reassuring warmth against him, a blessing all its own. His ex-boyfriend was heavier than Taiga remembered – not by much but noticeably – like Tetsuya wore a heavy jacket, even though he only sported a light sweatshirt. 

Tetsuya buried his face against Taiga’s shoulder; warm tears saturated Taiga’s shirt. So much passed between them – fear, resilience, relief – and Taiga just bowed his head, resting his cheek against Tetsuya’s neck. He let out the sigh he hadn’t known he’d been holding, and the tension bled from his once wire-strung muscles.

Every few seconds, Tetsuya shuddered against him, fingers digging further and further into Taiga’s skin, and Taiga tightened his grip, refusing to let go. 

“It’s all right, Tetsuya,” he murmured. “You’re okay now. I’ve got you.”

“D-Daiki. He-I saw him-what Hanamiya did – ”

“Daiki’s a big boy, and he won’t die for you. He’s too selfish for that.”

Except – they both knew that was a lie. Daiki loved Tetsuya, adored him. He would yell and bitch, sure, but in the end, Daiki’s love for Tetsuya, though different in nature, rivaled Taiga’s in its intensity. 

Tetsuya’s choked sobs broke Taiga’s heart, but as they entangled in each other’s arms, the cries dissolved until Tetsuya lay boneless in Taiga’s relentless grip. Tetsuya fisted his fingers in Taiga’s polo shirt, holding him close for a long moment, before recoiling, trembling. 

“Thank you for your kindness, Kagami-san. I will not impose upon your person any longer.”

“What!” Taiga gripped the sides of Testuya’s shirt, keeping the younger man in his lap. “What are you talking about? Tetsuya, you were attacked today. You could have died!”

“Yes.” Tetsuya wiped the stubborn tears that refused to stop falling. “I appreciate Kagami-san coming all the way out of here, and I do apologize for imposing upon Alex-san and Tatsuya-san. But I did not know where else to – ”

“Stop that,” Taiga growled, loud and fierce and condemning. “Don’t pull that shit. Not now. You know how I feel about you.”

“You do not get to be angry, Kagami-san,” Tetsuya replied with sharp reproach. “ _You_ broke up with _me._ ”

“You know why.”

Tetsuya struggled to leave Taiga’s lap, but with a long reach – and the muscles to match – Taiga kept him easily within his grasp. 

Huffing, Tetsuya flopped back into Taiga’s lap, conceding the fight and turning his incensed glare upon his former boyfriend. “Kagami-san refused to fight for us. Kagami-san just gave into my father’s demands, and then he expects me to just – to just –”

“I did it for you!”

“You did it because you did not wish to fight my father.”

“I didn’t want _you_ to fight your father!” Taiga fumed and let out a pent-up sigh. His shoulders slumped; his hands dropped, seeking Tetsuya’s colder ones. “Look, you know how I feel about you, but what happens if you’re just settling with me? What if you decide years down the road you don’t want to be with me, y’know? And it ruins your chance of becoming anything you want.”

“Taiga-kun –”

“No.” Taiga squeezed his hand. “Let me finish, Tetsuya…please.”

Tetsuya’s red eyes shimmered with fresh tears, but he nodded nonetheless. 

“You’re graduating university in a few weeks, and – ” His throat clenched; his jaw became heavy and tight, his voice strangled. “ – and I want you to do everything you want to…and maybe that can’t involve me. But I don’t want to stop you from doing…it.”

“I want to teach kindergarten.”

“Now, yeah, but in a few years – ”

“Why does Taiga-kun not trust me?” Tetsuya’s low voice accused, and the disgust twisted Tetsuya’s usually expressionless face. “Why does he trust my father more than me?”

“I don’t! It’s just – ”

“But you broke up with me because of something _he_ said. You decided to take _his_ word over mine.”

“God, it’s not about trust, Tetsuya! It’s about – ”

“Taiga-kun’s idiocy?”

“Hey! I – ”

“My father was wrong to devalue you,” Tetsuya interrupted, hand poking the side of his cheek. His expression was heartbreakingly tender as he leaned forward to press his forehead against Taiga’s. “I have never met someone as caring or as kind or as selfless as Taiga-kun, and my father was a fool not to see the wonderful idiot you are.”

Somehow Taiga thought he should be offended, but he wasn’t. 

“ _I_ do not deserve _you,_ ” Tetsuya admitted in a raw whisper, “but I am selfish. I do not mind taking advantage of your kind-hearted nature and your gyouza-making skills, and I would have happily done so for the rest of our lives. 

“So perhaps this is what’s best for you, Taiga-kun, because you are right.” The solemn tone in Tetsuya’s voice tore out Taiga’s heart, just like the prime minister had done all those weeks ago. “If you do not trust me, then we shouldn’t be together.”

Taiga stared into Tetsuya’s glistening eyes, and unlike before, where Taiga saw frustration and despair, he now saw resignation and defeat. But Taiga was the lucky one in this situation. Couldn’t Tetsuya see that? Tetsuya was a little shit, no doubt, with a devious streak and a sinister, barely existent smile, but he was also kind and loving and loyal. Every one of his protectors was either a childhood friend or a newly found one, and Tetsuya would just as easily take a bullet for any one of them as they would for him. 

Taiga never saw someone so dedicated to his family and friends, and he was so perceptive, giving Taiga whatever he needed – affection, attention, extra fries with that twenty-fourth cheeseburger. Tetsuya would do anything for Taiga, anything at all – even let him go. 

Damn. Tetsuya saw him all wrong. He was just as selfish. 

Taiga seized Tetsuya by his cheeks and ducked his head to press their lips together in a fierce, devouring embrace. It screamed of reclamation, softening from its original intensity to become tender, welcoming, alluring. Tetsuya met his lust, hands coming to fist in the front of Taiga’s shirt. It originally brought him closer, lips opening by their own accord, and then Tetsuya’s hands slipped up his chest, caressing, kneading. Slender arms swept about Taiga’s neck and pulled his body flush against Tetsuya’s.

“My father was wrong, Taiga-kun,” Tetsuya whispered against Taiga’s lips. Oh, he wanted to taste them for all eternity. “And you should know – I stopped listening to him when I was five.”

Taiga laughed. “Good to know.”

A loud bang, followed by frightened shrieks and more popping, squeezed Taiga’s eyes shut. His breath hitched in his throat as he thought of Alex and Tatsuya, and he hoped they hid or fled. 

Tetsuya tensed in Taiga’s lap. As he opened his mouth to speak, Taiga covered it without looking, eyes focused entirely on the floor boards above. Loud, ominous thumps, distinctively footsteps, stopped right above them, and Taiga held his breath. The longest moment in his life passed, followed by the second longest, and then the footsteps started away, back toward the entrance of the bar. 

Taiga motioned for Tetsuya to hide in the corner again, but Tetsuya hesitated, shaking his head. Taiga nudged him, forcing him off his lap, and then something heavy and dense clunked against the foor. 

The footsteps stopped; the world froze. Taiga caught Tetsuya’s eyes; they were blown wide and frightened. Taiga hit him in the side, urging Tetsuya further into the shadows, but before Tetsuya could fully extract himself from Taiga, the floor boards above them exploded with a fury of motion and violence. 

Taiga cried out, the pain immediate and fierce, and he slammed hard to the floor. 

“Taiga-kun!”

Taiga grunted and motioned for Tetsuya to stay as light flooded the small compartment. Squinting against the sudden brightness, Taiga swallowed back the sudden rush of bile and salt in his mouth, a shadow coming to stand over him. 

The gun was unmistakable in the assailant’s hand. “Kagami.”

Taiga struggled to breathe as agony tore through his damaged body. 

“Hanamiya,” he rasped, warmth sliding down his arm and pooling under his trembling hand. Oh, that wasn’t good. “ – the hell!”

Something shifted just on the edge of Taiga’s eyesight, but he couldn’t glance away. He needed to keep his eyes locked upon Makoto’s. If only Tetsuya would stay hidden… 

Makoto sneered, “Hm. Looks like I already de-clawed you. Where’s Tetsuya, Kagami? If you tell me, I promise I’ll make your end quick.”

The pain spiked in Taiga’s shoulder; he gritted his teeth. He was going to die here, wasn’t he? He didn’t tell Reo where he was going. He didn’t even bring his phone, and Alex and Tatsuya might have been dead, too. And that would be Taiga’s fault. He told Tetsuya to come here. 

At least Tetsuya knew how he felt. That brought him some comfort. 

“Tell me, Kagami. You’re dying anyway. Don’t prolong this.”

“Why?” he grunted, the pain too intense to do much more than that. “What the fuck do you have against the prime minister?”

Makoto’s eyes narrowed with manic pleasure, and he shrugged. “Sport.”

Taiga was going to be sick. 

“The Akashis and their friends were all bastards in high school. You weren’t here, so you wouldn’t know what kind of demons they truly are. Always acting as if they were better than everyone else. Terrorizing. Demonic. And I promised myself one day, I’d get them all back. 

“They worshipped Tetsuya,” Makoto said with mocking delight. “They all fawned over him. Protected him. So when we were in school, I could never get close enough. But now – oh, you made it so _easy,_ Kagami. Your idiotic mind cannot comprehend. Once I found out about your and Tetsuya’s relationship, it was just a matter of how to exploit it. Telling the press about your relationship, so they would report it. Getting the prime minister to have that little chat with you, and then you, of course, ran off to do the chivalrous thing. How _sweet._ Of course, I volunteered to switch schedules with you. Have to help out the team whenever I can.”

“You fucking bastard.” 

“And then it was just a matter of time. I thought I’d prolong it, maybe date Tetsuya, take him home and…well, enjoy ourselves.” Makoto lifted his gun, a malicious grin darkening his face. ”But it’s over now, Taiga. This has gone on long enough, and now – I’ll break them all.”

Taiga couldn’t help the rugged laugh that escaped his pale lips. “Tetsu refused you, huh? You got no game.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m going to win.” His finger slid onto the trigger. 

_“No,”_ Tetsuya’s firm voice cut through the darkness, and Taiga thought he’d stopped breathing. 

One last look of sadistic pleasure passed through Makoto’s face before his eyes widened. Pain skirted through their vision, and only belatedly, Taiga heard the thunderous round of a gun discharge. He glanced to the right to see a shivering and unhinged Tetsuya, aiming Daiki’s pistol at the floor boards. Taiga followed his gaze up to Makoto and the dark, vile crimson that seeped through his white dress shirt at stomach-level. 

With one last merciless chuckle, “ _Baka_ …you think this will break me? I’m not…not garbage…like… _you_ ,” his eyes rolled back into his head, and he slumped to the ground, unmoving. 

Taiga’s head tipped back to the ground, breaths exploding through his mouth, and he blinked, the adrenaline still pumping through his body. 

“Taiga-kun!” Tetsuya’s desperate voice sounded desperate, frightened. “Taiga-kun!”

Taiga spent three years teaching Tetsuya everything he needed to survive – self-defense moves, marksmen skills, evasive maneuvers – never actually believing Tetsuya would ever need to use them. He did it for his own peace of mind, and it ended up saving their lives. 

“Taiga-kun,” Tetsuya’s worried voice called again, and soft, trembling hands slid across his cheeks. 

Taiga relented, opening his eyes and smiling up at Tetsuya. “You alright?”

“I’m…” He glanced away, up at Makoto, and Taiga’s good hand skimmed over the floor to snatch Tetsuya’s. 

“Hey. It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. We’re going to check on Makoto and then Alex and Tatsuya, and we’ll get your dad and brother here.”

Tetsuya nodded, unable to form words. When the tears began to fall, Taiga just held his hand and let him sob. 

*^*^*

Makoto apparently hadn’t needed to kill Tatsuya and Alex, only knock them out. As they recovered, Tetsuya worked on Taiga, patching up his wound as best he could before the paramedics arrived. Then, Taiga tugged Tetsuya into his lap and wrapped his good hand about the younger man’s waist, holding him close as the trembling continued. 

After the paramedics, Yukio and Ryouta stormed onto the scene, and for once, Taiga was happy for his excitable colleague. Ryouta refused to let Tetsuya tumble into despair, teasing him and squeezing him and distracting him while Taiga was off getting medical treatment. Eventually, the prime minister and Seijuro arrived, ignoring their guardians’ warnings to run ahead.

The prime minister took both his sons in his arms, pressing tender kisses to the top of their heads and murmuring reassuring words into their hair. They stayed like that for a long time until the prime minister finally left them to their protectors – Reo, Chihiro, Yukio, and Ryouta – and approached Alex and Tatsuya. He went down in the most reverent bow, thanking them for protecting his son against a monster, and numerous camera flashed. No doubt, the picture would be splattered all over the Internet. It would endear nearly ever Japanese citizen to their prime minster, showing the man at his strongest and weakest, and yet – Taiga knew it wasn’t a publicity stunt. It wasn’t politics. The prime minister was simply a man, grateful to still be called a father. 

Alex became flustered – had Taiga ever seen her blush before? – while Tatsuya bowed in return, happy to do his duty for his country. (He might have given Taiga a thumbs up behind his back.)

When the prime minister came to Taiga, however, the bodyguard stood and stopped the prime minster from falling to his knees. 

“I love your son, Akashi-san,” Taiga began. “I would have died for him.”

“I know.” The prime minister nodded and glanced back to see Seijuro and Tetsuya sitting next to each other near the entrance to the bar, huddled and whispering. “I – ”

“I don’t care what you have to say…sir,” Taiga added. “You can fire me, but I won’t stop dating him.”

“Hm.” Gazing at Taiga, scrutinizing him, the prime minister patted Taiga on his good arm. “Make sure he proposes. An Akashi must always be the one to win.”

Taiga stiffened, though the prime minister never saw as he walked away in a determined stride. Makoto had been wrong to attack Tetsuya, but the elitist air of Akashi Masomi was truly appalling. 

As the paramedics loaded Taiga into the ambulance for transport to the hospital, Tetsuya climbed aboard, followed by Yukio and Ryouta. Taiga groaned – Ryouta was _so_ loud – but he could endure for the short trip to the hospital. The true struggle came when the orderlies wheeled him into the room, where he’d have to stay for “observation.” One bed over lay the glowering Daiki. who rolled his eyes. 

“Really? There isn’t another bed in this whole damn place?” Daiki huffed. The bodyguard played the part of injured officer perfectly, dressed in a hospital gown with an IV, blankets heaped upon his person. 

If he only admitted it to himself, Taiga breathed a sigh of a relief. Daiki was all right, would make a full recover, and they’d be bickering with Tetsuya between them again soon. 

He probably imagined it, but he thought he saw Daiki sigh, too. 

Tetsuya approached the foot of Taiga’s bed with a hesitant but tender smile. “I asked the staff to place Taiga-kun here, Daiki-kun. I-I wanted to be close to my _brother-from-another-mother_ and my boyfriend.”

Taiga glanced over at Daiki, who met him with the same worried gaze, before Daiki lifted up a shaking hand to Tetsuya. The younger man cradled it close to his heart. “Tetsu…don’t that again. You’re not cut out to be OG.”

Taiga barely kept from howling. Tetsuya shot him a dirty glare, though it lacked the heat it usually held. The tears in his eyes froze Taiga instantly, but Tetsuya just turned back to Daiki, nodding insistently. 

“Hey, stop that,” Daiki chastised. “I’d do again in a heartbeat, Tetsu. You know that.”

He did. 

“But…I don’t want you to, Daiki-kun. You—”

“Want to. Tetsu, this isn’t just a job. Not to me. Not to Ryouta and Yukio. Not to Taiga. We’ve been protecting each other all our lives, and that’s not going to stop now.”

Tetsuya looked away, guilt flashing through his gaze. “That’s what Hanamiya-san said. In high school, he – ”

“ – was an ass then,” Daiki insisted. “I punched him for going after you and I punched Haizaki for going after Ryouta. I’d do that again, too, and if you hadn’t put two bullets into him, then I would have. I wish I had,” he added a little lighter, apologetic.

“Me, too, Tetsu,” Taiga interjected, drawing Tetsuya’s startled gaze. “You shouldn’t have had to do that for me. I-I know what’s like, and – ”

“I…” Tetsuya looked down, still holding Daiki’s hand, but then reached out, taking hold of Taiga’s too. “I’m-I’m _not_ sorry, Taiga-kun. He almost took two of the most important people in my life from me. I’m not – I wish there would have been another way I could have – maybe if I had – ”

“No,” Daiki snapped with a quick tug of Tetsuya’s hand. “Don’t think like that. You did what you had to – cuz Bakagami over there – ”

“Hey!”

“ – couldn’t do his job – ”

“Aho, you didn’t get Makoto either!”

“But I took out four of his guys!”

“Yeah, well, I – ow!”

“Ouch! Tetsu!”

Tetsuya tugged both of their arms, jerking their hurt bodies. “As I said, I am not sorry for…for Makoto,” he stammered, releasing Daiki’s hand to cradle Taiga’s cheek. “But don’t – don’t do this to me, again, Taiga-kun. I almost lost you twice. I can’t do it a third time.”

Twice? What was Tetsuya – oh. Right. First to his father and now to Makoto. 

“You won’t have to,” Taiga promised, drawing Tetsuya down for a chaste kiss. “I’m not leaving your side again.”

Tetsuya’s smile brightened the room and Taiga’s life. “Good. Now, rest, Taiga-kun, Daiki-kun.” Tetsuya released Taiga’s hand just enough to pull a chair between their beds. “I’ll watch over you.”

Taiga sighed, content to feel the weight and warmth of Tetsuya’s hand in his own, until Daiki called, “Hey, Tetsu? Can you get me some ice chips?”

An entertaining thought popped into Taiga’s head. “—in a nurse’s outfit?”

“Ugh! I never pegged you for a pervert, Taiga.”

“Says the guy who sends me pictures of Mai-chan.”

“Yeah, Mai-chan, not _Tetsu!_ ”

“Yeah, well, Tetsu is a thousand times more – ow! Tetsu!”

“Uk – stop that!”

“Yes, Daiki-kun, I will get you ice chips.” Tetsuya dropped both Daiki and Taiga’s hands, and retreated toward the door. “And Taiga-kun, let’s call that incentive for you get better.”

Daiki might have made a face, but Taiga recovered in record time. 

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed and thanks for reading!


End file.
